Well, I got a pretty good response to my last blog concerning the NBA, so I think I'm going to provide at least bi-weekly updates on how the season is going, if not weekly. I'll also try to look at some of the bigger games as well as my opinions on the key teams and events. I'll try not to make it too long

Anyway, I just thought I would start with the NBA's current Power Rankings of the teams. This doesn't have anything to do with me, but is made by official NBA people (whoever they are). However, this list more or less encapsulates how teams are looking. You can see the official thing here, but for those of you too lazy to click a link, here they are. If you just want to read my analysis, go ahead and skip the list

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1 L.A. Lakers (7-0) Pace: 99.2 (8), Off: 115.0 (1), Def: 101.2 (11) Maybe it's time to start the "MVP" chant at Staples whenever Pau Gasol shoots free throws. He's not only outscoring Kobe Bryant, but he leads the league in raw +/- at plus-113 and matched Bryant with a triple-double of his own against the Blazers on Sunday.

2 Boston (6-1) Pace: 93.8 (24), Off: 103.9 (15), Def: 95.6 (3) Boston has to be anticipating Delonte West's return from suspension. In addition to alleviating the load that Allen and Pierce have been carrying, he will provide a boost to the offense, which has been rather mediocre. Thursday's game is huge, but the Celtics can't look past Dallas on Monday.

3 New Orleans (6-0) Pace: 93.9 (23), Off: 105.1 (11), Def: 96.2 (4) None of the Hornets' six wins has come by more than nine points, but that should come as little surprise. With Chris Paul on the floor, New Orleans is 112-68 (.662) all-time in games determined by nine points or less, as opposed to 85-86 (.497) in games determined by 10 points or more.

4 Miami (5-2) Pace: 93.7 (25), Off: 107.5 (5), Def: 91.2 (1) No issues here with Eddie House getting the first "last shot," because he was the open man on the play. The problem was that he was also 0-for-6 on threes at that point. Of the nine Heat players who have played 100 minutes, House is the only one with a +/- less than plus-27. He's a minus-2.

5 Orlando (4-1) Pace: 95.8 (19), Off: 106.2 (8), Def: 92.1 (2) The Magic have proven themselves very good at getting their games canceled and beating bad teams. With both Jameer Nelson (ankle) and Vince Carter (hip flexor) currently banged up, a couple of good teams -- Atlanta on Monday and Utah on Wednesday -- visit the Amway Center this week.

6 San Antonio (4-1) Pace: 99.8 (7), Off: 106.5 (7), Def: 103.9 (16) The way that Richard Jefferson (20.4 ppg, 65 percent shooting) has been playing, it's clear that Gregg Popovich could make a lot of money as a summer basketball instructor. Manu Ginobili followed his clutch game-tying jumper in Saturday's OT win over the Rockets with the week's best tweet.

7 Atlanta (6-1) Pace: 94.8 (22), Off: 112.1 (2), Def: 104.4 (17) After looking solid against some weaker competition, the Hawks' defense got scorched by the Suns on Sunday. They're still undefeated with their starting lineup intact, but Marvin Williams (knee) is not expected back until later this week at the earliest. The Magic (Monday) are the first winning team they've faced.

8 Denver (4-2) Pace: 96.7 (16), Off: 108.3 (4), Def: 99.9 (7) Al Harrington hasn't exactly been efficient (44 percent shooting, only 11 free-throw attempts in six games), but he's given the Nuggets a second scorer as Chauncey Billups (33 percent from the field thus far) struggles to find his shot. Harrington had big buckets in each of his team's two wins this week.

9 Dallas (3-2) Pace: 95.2 (20), Off: 101.9 (18), Def: 97.4 (5) Two games against the Nuggets have knocked the Mavs down a couple of spots defensively, but it's been Dallas' offense (41 total turnovers, specifically) that has failed them in their two losses thus far. They're also suffering too much of a dropoff when they go to the bench. J.J. Barea is a minus-52 in 88 minutes.

10 Oklahoma City (3-3) Pace: 96.0 (18), Off: 101.2 (19), Def: 106.3 (21) How bad has the Thunder's ball movement been? Their 14.8 assists per game is the lowest average in NBA history and their assist rate of 43.8 percent is the lowest since the 1978-79 San Diego Clippers assisted on only 41.4 percent of their field goals. By that measure, it's the worst ball movement in 32 years.

11 Portland (5-3) Pace: 92.2 (29), Off: 105.9 (10), Def: 103.3 (14) Six games in nine days took a toll on the Blazers' defense, which allowed 118.6 points per 100 possessions in their three losses this week. Their status as the third-worst defensive rebounding team in the league showed up in Thursday's overtime defeat to the Thunder.

12 Golden State (4-2) Pace: 99.8 (6), Off: 104.1 (13), Def: 102.2 (12) The Warriors have continued to shoot poorly (41 percent) since their first two games, but they've picked up a couple of more wins with ... pause for effect ... defense. The 78 points the Jazz scored on Friday were the fewest the Warriors have allowed since Nov. 25, 2006, when they beat the Clippers, 109-77.

13 Phoenix (3-3) Pace: 97.8 (14), Off: 109.2 (3), Def: 107.8 (27) The offensive and defensive rankings look just about right, but the Suns' pace rank is the bizarro stat of the week. They've survived a tough early schedule, but it's not getting easier any time soon. They face the Kings and Nuggets at home and visit the Grizzlies, Lakers, Heat and Magic in the next 11 days.

14 Utah (3-3) Pace: 98.3 (12), Off: 101.0 (22), Def: 100.9 (9) When you score just 78 points against the Warriors, it's fair to say you're still working things out offensively. The Jazz are lacking depth (only six players averaging more than 14 minutes) and it doesn't get any tougher than the four-day stretch they face this week, with visits to Miami, Orlando and Atlanta.

15 Memphis (3-4) Pace: 101.2 (3), Off: 101.0 (21), Def: 102.9 (13) After Friday's heartbreaking double-OT loss in Phoenix, the Grizzlies get another shot at the Suns on Monday, the start of a stretch where they play seven of nine at home. Maybe this time, they'll make the free throws they're supposed to make and miss the ones they're supposed to miss.

16 New York (3-3) Pace: 100.3 (4), Off: 103.9 (14), Def: 100.2 (8) The Knicks' defensive improvement has come mostly from their bench, and mostly from Toney Douglas and Ronny Turiaf. In fact, the six reserves who have played this season all have +/- marks better than each of the five starters. Turiaf ranks 18th in the league at plus-56, higher than anyone on the 6-0 Hornets.

17 Chicago (2-3) Pace: 98.4 (11), Off: 104.1 (12), Def: 104.6 (18) The Bulls shot 54 percent in their three games this week and are the third-most improved offensive team in the league without Carlos Boozer having played a minute. But they lost to the Knicks and Celtics because of turnovers (40 total) and porous defense (112.3 points allowed per 100 possessions).

18 Houston (1-5) Pace: 102.3 (2), Off: 107.0 (6), Def: 109.0 (28) The Rockets finally got off the schneid on Sunday and have four more winnable games coming up. Thus far, they're a minus-25 with Yao Ming on the floor and a plus-21 with him on the bench. With Aaron Brooks (ankle) out four to six weeks, they're hoping Kyle Lowry (back) can get back on the floor Wednesday.

19 Sacramento (3-3) Pace: 98.4 (10), Off: 106.1 (9), Def: 109.5 (29) Saturday's game against the Grizzlies was supposed to be a measuring stick for the Kings. Tyreke Evans and Francisco Garcia measured up pretty well, but their teammates did not. DeMarcus Cousins did not take well to coming off the bench for the first time, finishing with just four points and three rebounds in 23 minutes.

20 Cleveland (3-3) Pace: 96.4 (17), Off: 102.7 (17), Def: 106.7 (24) The 39 points (on 13-for-20 shooting) that Daniel Gibson scored in the Cavs' two wins over the weekend are the most he's scored in any two-game span since November of 2008. LeBron is gone, but the Cavs are still at the top of the Central Division. And they have four very winnable games in the next nine days.

21 Milwaukee (2-5) Pace: 93.7 (26), Off: 93.2 (29), Def: 98.8 (6) Andrew Bogut is shooting 51 percent from the field, but his teammates are shooting 38 percent. The Bucks are still strong on the defensive end, but no team has regressed more offensively. At least they don't have to play the Hornets -- who held them to 81 points on Saturday -- anymore.

22 Philadelphia (2-5) Pace: 98.1 (13), Off: 103.0 (16), Def: 101.1 (10) If it weren't for a flurry of late turnovers against the Cavs and a miracle three from Cartier Martin, the Sixers might have won all four of their games this week. Either way, they looked like a decent offensive team, shooting 51 percent and scoring 108.4 points per 100 possessions in the four games.

23 Indiana (2-3) Pace: 98.6 (9), Off: 95.5 (28), Def: 103.5 (15) Shooting 32 percent and losing to the Sixers by 26 points may be the worst performance any team has had this year. The Pacers' defense has been OK, but their offense has been absolutely anemic (86.9 points per 100 possessions) in the last three games. They get a shot at Houston's horrid defense on Friday.

24 New Jersey (2-4) Pace: 93.4 (27), Off: 96.6 (26), Def: 106.4 (23) It's one thing for Brook Lopez to have a rough night (3-for-17) against Dwight Howard. But for him to also struggle against the Charlotte and Miami frontlines is disconcerting. In total, Lopez shot 28 percent and averaged just 4.7 rebounds in the Nets' three losses this week. And he faces Howard again on Saturday.

25 Detroit (2-5) Pace: 93.3 (28), Off: 100.8 (23), Def: 107.5 (26) After his blow-up with John Kuester and one-game timeout, Rodney Stuckey came up big Sunday. Seven of his 21 points came in the final five minutes of a five-point win over Golden State. It was the second time he has had 20-plus points and nine-plus assists this season, after having one such game last year.

26 Charlotte (1-5) Pace: 90.8 (30), Off: 99.0 (24), Def: 105.1 (19) Don't count the Bobcats out just yet. They started 3-9 in each of their first two seasons under Larry Brown, and they recovered to make the playoffs last year. Speaking of slow starts, they're scoring just 88.1 points per 100 possessions and have been outscored by 30 points in the first quarter over their six games.

27 L.A. Clippers (1-6) Pace: 94.9 (21), Off: 96.7 (25), Def: 105.6 (20) After an ugly first three games, the Clippers have played much better. If he weren't owed $42 million over three seasons, they would probably prefer that Baron Davis stay out of the way. With Davis out (of shape), rookie Eric Bledsoe is averaging 13 points and 7 assists in four games as a starter.

28 Washington (1-4) Pace: 99.9 (5), Off: 95.5 (27), Def: 106.8 (25) With Gilbert Arenas back, John Wall putting up historical lines and Kirk Hinrich filling in the holes, the Wizards will be OK on the perimeter. The interior is another story, though. They rank 30th in offensive rebounding percentage and 29th in points in the paint.

29 Toronto (1-5) Pace: 97.8 (15), Off: 101.2 (20), Def: 106.3 (22) That defensive ranking sure went down in a hurry. If the Raptors are willing to accept moral victories, then their trip West wasn't a complete disaster. They hung close with the Lakers and Jose Calderon may have had a breakthrough. He shot 12-for-16 and had 12 total assists in the two losses over the weekend.

30 Minnesota (1-6) Pace: 103.9 (1), Off: 93.1 (30), Def: 110.7 (30) Neither the standings nor the statistics backed him up at the time, but Michael Beasley called his Timberwolves "the worst team in the NBA" after three games. It turns out that Beas is a pretty good analyst. The only question is how in the world did the Bucks lose to these guys?

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I literally copied and pasted the info from NBA.com so none of the information is mine. And I know all those numbers are a bit overwhelming but don't really worry about it. Pace is possessions per game, offense is points per game and defense is points allowed per game.

Most of the top teams should come as no surprise even if you're not really following the games. However, the Hornets certainly aren't expected, and I'm quite surprised at their performance so far, as I'm sure most are. But, there is no denying that they are the real deal, handing Miami their second loss this last week. I know it's still very early, but to see a formerly dead team start off this strong is usually something to look out for. We'll see if they can keep their record clean with a tough game against the Spurs tonight.

As for the other remaining undefeated team, the Lakers, if you've seen even one of their games, you have to be scared if you're not a Laker fan . Pau is simple tearing up the court, and Lamar Odom is proving to be a huge player, with around 70% shooting still, including some incredible 3s, and well over 10 rebounds a game. Even without the starting center, Bynum, LA seems to have no problem when it comes to size. However, more importantly, their bench looks fantastic; much more so than previous years. Shannon Brown can actually shoot finally, and man is he good. To along with him, is the newly acquired Steve Blake, offering some much needed outside shooting. Matt Barnes isn't looking too shabby either, though he's still not doing that much offensively. All in all, Lakers are looking fantastic.

On the other coast, the Celtics aren't much worse, with only one freak loss against the Cavs (though they do have a tough game against the Mavs right now). Otherwise, they too look even stronger than last year, especially with Shaq. Sure he's not nearly in as good shape as before, but his sheer size and strength certainly ensures the paint will be well taken care of for the minutes he's in. And like the Lakers, they're still doing quite well without their starting center, Perkins. I still hold, however, that one of the key players is from the bench, "Big Baby" Davis. Definitely underrated, he's the star of the bench and easily lives up to the starter's standards. And of course there's the "Big Three", but I say Rondo is by far the most important player to the team, as he's on track for record assist numbers. His ability to take care of the ball and distribute is quite simply the best in the league and people need to stop looking at Pierce and Allen, and look at this rising star.

Oh, and what about the other "Big Three" down in Miami? They're contenders in the East, sure. But personally, unless the team dramatically improves as a whole by playoff time, I still see the Celtics beating them in 6 or 7 games. They just don't have any size, and no, Bosh doesn't count. He can't post. At all. Really, no one can on the team, and while LeBron is definitely starting, it'll be at least a year before he gets to Kobe's level of the post game. That said, there's no denying the talent, and it'll be interesting to see how the team develops over the year.

Back west, in general, very few other teams are performing up to expectations. Nuggets, Mavs, and Spurs will definitely be contenders, and are getting wins, but there isn't the cohesion or fluidity seen from the Hornets or Lakers. And things aren't looking so good for the other former big west teams such as the Suns, Thunder, and Jazz. After a perfect preseason, the Jazz are moving quite slowly, and are just simply sloppy. Same goes for the Thunder, who just aren't living up to the expectations, especially after such a good showing last year. And the Suns certainly aren't doing bad, but good isn't a proper word either I feel. Hedo needs to step his game up if the team is going to compete. Nash certainly can't do everything.

And then there's the rest of the league, with some bright spots here and there, but certainly need some big improvement if they're to be playoff contenders. Clippers, Rockets, and 76-ers finally get some wins, but still aren't looking to great. Bucks just look bad, along with the Pistons, and Nets are doing okay, but I think they just lack talent right now.

I'm sure I missed a few key points, but that's my general analysis so far. Yes, I know there are games going on, but I don't think today's games really change all that much. I know this was a bit long, but tell me what you think I'll probably go more in-depth for specific games next week, since there will just be less data to talk about, but hopefully this provided a good synopsis on the season so far.

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted a blog , and I apologize. School's just getting a bit busy. However, I've got some ideas so hopefully soon I can get a good blog or two out soon. But first, I just have a quick question:

Am I the only one excited for this year's NBA season?

As far as I've seen, there really hasn't been much sports talk other than some football. I know RoleImaginer is a Laker fan and dibbi2's avatar shows where his allegiance lies, but other than that, I haven't found any basketball fans here on IGN. This is definitely shaping up to be one of the best NBA seasons since the beginning of the millennium, but I can't help but feel I'm alone in the excitement here on My IGN. I'd be glad to do some blogs as the season progresses, but if no one wants it, I won't waste all your time.

So let me know your thoughts on that! If you're rooting for a team let me know which one, as well as thoughts on the upcoming season. Oh and for the record, I'm a Laker fan, so feel free to send praise or hate my way